Residential area closed off – retractable bollards stop through traffic and unauthorised parking

A residential street in a quiet neighbourhood – at least it was until navigation apps and commuters discovered it as a shortcut. From then on, outside traffic rolled through the street every day, often faster than allowed. Then there were the parkers: anyone who could not find a space nearby parked in front of other people's driveways and in the residents' spaces. And in the middle of it all, the children who used to play safely in the street. The “residents only” sign had long been in place. Hardly anyone paid attention to it.

The access to the residential area by day: the raised bollards close the street to cars, while pedestrians and cyclists still get through.

The residents decided together

The neighbours got together and drew a clear line: anyone who lives here or comes to visit drives in. Everyone else does not. A permanent barrier was out of the question, because refuse collection, parcel services, tradespeople and, in an emergency, the fire brigade and ambulance service must still be able to reach every front door. What was needed was a barrier that is only there when it is needed.

Why not a gate or a barrier arm?

A gate across a street is costly, needs room to open and visually turns a residential area into a gated compound. A barrier arm would be cheaper, but it stops no one who is determined and, experience shows, gets pushed up, driven around or broken off. Chains or folding posts fail in everyday use: someone has to get out, unlock, lock up again – after a few weeks they are left open. Retractable bollards have none of these disadvantages. When lowered, only a stainless steel lid lies flush in the road; when raised, no car can get past.

In by radio, then automatically closed again

For the residents, everyday life is as convenient as before: on approach they press the radio transmitter, the bollards lower completely into the ground within a few seconds, they drive over them – and then the bollards rise again automatically. Nobody has to stop, get out or remember to close the barrier again. So the residential area is not only closed when someone remembers, but always.

At dusk, the red LED ring shows from a distance that the way through is closed.

The red LED ring: a boundary you can see at night

A raised bollard must be recognisable to every driver in the dark – to strangers, so that they do not even get the idea, and to the residents themselves, so that nobody accidentally drives into it. The red LED light ring in the bollard head does exactly that. It marks the access unmistakably at dusk and at night, and does not look like a roadworks barrier but like part of the street lighting.

Looking into the residential street: behind the bollards, the street once again belongs to those who live here.

Built for many journeys a day

The access to a residential area is not opened twice a day but for every resident, every visit and every delivery. That is why our bollards work pneumatically. The bollard itself contains only a stainless steel cylinder; the compressor and valves stand dry in a building or equipment cabinet. There is no motor and no electronics in the ground that could be exposed to rain, road salt or frost. The bollard is sealed to IP69, the seals are designed for temperatures down to −35 °C, and the system needs neither a heater nor a drain. It is designed for many switching cycles and is very low-maintenance – and if a valve does need replacing after years, this is done on a quick-release coupling without digging up the street.

When raised, each bollard locks mechanically at the top and cannot be pushed down, not even if someone cuts the air hose. The bollards are made of V4A stainless steel (1.4571) in-house at our site in Seevetal near Hamburg.

The result

The through traffic has disappeared, and so have the unauthorised parkers. The street is as quiet as it used to be, and the children can play outside again. For data protection reasons, we do not name the location.

Has your street also become a shortcut?

The principle works equally well for residents' associations, private roads, residential complexes and local authorities. What matters most is who still needs to drive through and how these vehicles open the bollards – by radio transmitter, time program, number plate recognition or push button. We have described similar cases here:

• Supermarket opposite – bollards secure the parking spaces of a residential complex
• Pedestrian zone closed at night – retractable bollards with traffic light
• A bollard secures the access to a house

Send us a photo of your access via WhatsApp to +49 172 4544485 or call us on +49 40 226390411. We will tell you how many bollards you need, where they should stand and which control system fits. You will find all models and prices in the overview retractable bollards made of stainless steel V4A; answers to common questions can be found in our FAQ on retractable bollards.